Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
“Wait, don’t go ahead,” Hayden ordered in an authoritative voice I had rarely heard before, at least not aimed at me.
He turned and nodded to one of the warriors, and a man climbed the stairs to the front door.
I gaped at Hayden. He’d risked a fellow warrior’s life when we could have done it ourselves. I attempted to ascend the stairs, but Hayden held me by my wrist. His touch heated my skin, and I flinched.
“No. We can’t risk your life.”
“Let me go, Hayden. What has gotten into you?”
His protectiveness of me went beyond his usual duties as my bodyguard. His words and actions had an edge, as if he were on high alert around me.
A sudden, agonized yelp jerked my focus toward the cottage entrance. A wild vine had come alive like a living rope and coiled around the warrior’s legs, yanking him abruptly to the ground.
On instinct, I touched my bracelet, willing it into a whip and immediately disconnecting from Hayden. The extended golden rope glowed with mixed magic, light and dark, as I cracked the whip hard at the vines and slashed them.
But I was too late.
The cracking of bones echoed around us as the warrior continued to whimper and grunt while thrashing on the rotting deck of the cottage.
After multiple slashes to the vines, they stopped their attack.
They must have been a part of an old security system Cordelia had set up around her cottage.
If she were inside, she would have fled or fought us by now.
I turned to the other warriors. “Get him back to the car. Now.”
The men sprang into action, but it became clear they needed more hands to carry the injured man’s weight on the hike.
I cast a glance at one of the warriors. “Follow the other two.”
With a nod, he marched after the other warriors. Time worked against them since they needed our pack doctor before the injured man’s bones mended in the wrong way.
“We need every man here, Breanna. We don’t know if other traps are set around the cottage or inside,” Hayden said.
“But we’ll manage. We still have enough men, plus the two of us,” I said.
Grasping my shoulders gently, he looked me straight in the eye with a strange expression. I felt like he wanted to shake me out of some silly trance he thought I’d fallen under.
“Don’t you understand? Your life is the most important here. We can’t risk it. You’re the future Queen now.”
Hayden was correct. But I didn’t think this made my life more valuable than anyone else’s. Quite the opposite. Dad had taught me that we had more responsibilities as royals. Sacrificing for our people and the kingdom was a natural part of being the King or Queen.
As this new side of Hayden surged, I couldn’t stop my frown from appearing.
Releasing me, Hayden called off one of the men to stay back. I sighed. While he talked to him, I pushed the door open and stepped inside the dark cottage.
The vines covered the windows, and shadows danced across the hearth. The scent of herbs thickened the stale air.
The cottage was a single, small room. Did Cordelia find the solitude comforting, or did she feel lonely?
In the middle of the space stood a massive stone fireplace, and an uneven wooden table stood tucked away in the corner, strewn with books and yellow parchment. Nestled in a nook sat a low, tiny bed.
I envisioned Cordelia resting there, and the image didn’t quite reconcile with the Gothic dark witch with ripped jeans. But she probably hadn’t always been like that. As a witch, she’d lived for centuries, and her fashion choices must have changed over time.
Time seemed to stand still in this little corner of the world. I found it difficult to imagine the dark witch seeking refuge here after a day filled with hideous acts, such as stealing a baby’s wolf spirit, turning creatures into demonic animals, casting dark magic spells, and hurting others.
I gave my head a slight shake. Since her mother was burned at the stake, Cordelia hadn’t found peace. This cottage wasn’t her sanctuary, but rather the quiet place where she thought of her evil plans.
I darted my gaze around the space, and I stepped on the uneven wooden plank, closely followed by Hayden. I gave him a sharp look.
“Nothing will happen to me here. Look around,” I said, spreading my arms wide while twirling in a circle. “I’m safe.”
“That’s for me to decide,” he said softly, taking a step closer, his hot breath tickling my neck.
I sighed heavily and focused on the cottage’s interior. The worn, weathered floor planks creaked under our feet, and a thin layer of dust and dirt had settled on the neglected floor.
As I stood in the middle of the space, something felt odd. My skin itched, and I assumed the dust made me uncomfortable. But then my bracelet pulsed against my forearm as if it recognized another witch object and was drawn to it.
I felt that strange pull again. But this time, no small butterfly fluttered around to guide me to another witch item. My gaze fell on the old oak table, and I walked toward it.
Running my fingers over the rough surface, I felt the intense presence of magic that seemed to linger in the air around it. I touched the engravings of unknown symbols and patterns until my hand reached a stack of books.
One book stood out. The dark, enigmatic tome was bound in aged, cracked, brown leather, its surface etched with symbols I didn’t know. The pages were made of thick yellow parchment, bearing the scent of stale air, moldy carpet, and long forgotten rituals and incantations.
As I touched the front cover, my bracelet sparked, and a buzzing sound echoed around me.
I murmured the title of the book. “The Grimoire of the Coven: The Witch’s Summoning.”
It was as if the book were trying to communicate with me, just like the other books I had found.
I almost laughed at the thought that my superpower was to find books and talk to them. But unlike the other books, this one I could open, unprotected by magic and abandoned.
It wasn’t meant for me to find, and it wasn’t left here by whoever wanted me to find the other witch books. The cottage was abandoned, and Cordelia had left everything behind to weather.
I grabbed the book and clutched it against my chest.
Just like before, my heartbeat escalated, reacting to the magic of the book as if it recognized one of our own. Holding the book close, I glanced at Hayden, who just shrugged and smiled at me.
“Do you feel any dark magic from the book, sweetheart? Let me ask one of our warriors to carry it for you.”
“No, it’s fine. No dark magic.”
For a moment, I expected Hayden to pry my fingers off the tome and steal it away from me, deeming it too dangerous. But he didn’t.
I shook my head, and luckily, that was enough confirmation for him that we could take the book with us.
After searching the place for another moment, we decided to hike back to the cars. The other group of men had already left. While Hayden drove, I bowed my head over the book in my lap, flipping the pages to learn more about it.
“You’ll get carsick,” Hayden said softly.
I breathed deeper and tried to ignore the churning in my stomach as much as possible. “It’s okay. I have to figure out if this book can help me somehow. There was a reason why it called to me.”
I didn’t see Hayden’s expression as my gaze settled on the witch book. The title was beautifully engraved on the cover, and underneath the words was the familiar pentagram minus the four symbols.
Flipping the book back and forth, I couldn’t find a daisy wheel symbol, confirming my suspicion that the book was abandoned in the cottage and not specifically left for me.
The pages contained spells and drawings that I didn’t fully understand.
Meticulously handwritten text filled the sheets in what I could decipher to be an ancient witch language I wished I had studied.
Instinctively, I ran my finger over the fading ink, and the words changed to English at the touch of my fingertips.
“How interesting,” I muttered.
Perhaps not all witches knew of the ancient language except Cordelia, so she hadn’t bothered to put a protective spell on the book, locking its secrets away.
Rubbing my hands together, I stared at them.
It was becoming clear that my witch powers had something to do with books. I could feel, find, and read them.
My fingers twitched as I lowered them over the page again. Hayden’s piercing gaze fell on me.
“You make the words appear,” he said. “You are pale, Princess. Look at the book later.”
I stopped mouthing the words and glanced at my mate. “But there is a section on summoning witches. There are diagrams and steps on how to go about it. I wonder if Cordelia wrote it, but why did she leave the book behind?”
Hayden seemed thoughtful as he averted his gaze back at the road.
“Because no witch would want to meet with her. Cordelia doesn’t look like a person who makes friends.
Or maybe she wasn’t concerned anyone would find it since witches are close to being extinct,” he said, glancing at me, “so there’s a low chance another witch would randomly find the cottage. ”
“Maybe.”
Silence stretched through the car, and only the low rumble of the engine echoed around us. Although the car shook gently, my stomach swirled as I read and touched the squiggly lines.
A section of warnings spoke of the unpredictable nature of witches and the potential consequences of their arrival, warning the summoning witch to proceed with care and respect the ancient forces. So summoning witches came at a cost.
“It says a witch would only appear if she wanted to appear when summoned,” I said after moving my finger down the row of inked words.
“Well, we wouldn’t be able to summon Cordelia, then. I doubt she’d agree to meet you.”
I sighed. “Then the book is useless to me.”
I lifted my gaze and watched the quiet road leading to the kingdom territory. Then it struck me, and I stifled my gasp.
I’d forgotten the one place witches could enter—Cordelia’s dream realm. I didn’t need to summon her but could access her dream realm as I had done before.
I glanced at Hayden and pressed my lips together. His index finger rhythmically tapped on the steering wheel as if he had a song playing in his head. The rest of the way to the royal manor, I fought the urge to cross and uncross my legs, unable to stop fidgeting in the seat.
When Hayden pulled to a stop at the front doors, I had my hand on the car handle.
“Are you coming with me to see the King?” He turned off the engine.
I clicked the door open and set one foot on the ground. “Would you mind updating Dad? I need to rest in my room first.”
Hayden’s eyes darkened to the ocean’s hue, and his head tilted to the side, studying me. I squirmed under his scrutiny, and putting the other foot out of the car, I exited and slammed the door behind me.
Rushing to my bedroom, I glanced over my shoulder to see Hayden climbing the stairs to the boardroom.
Good.
I clicked the lock from the inside and left the new witch book next to the magic map with the dot on my bookshelf.
Technically, Hayden could access my dream realm but couldn’t proceed with me to Cordelia’s realm.
So if he couldn’t stay glued to my side, I was sure Hayden wouldn’t be happy with what I was about to do.
Only witches could access the dream realms of other witches, meaning I was about to face Cordelia all by myself.
Swallowing the dryness in my throat, I lay on my bed and closed my eyes, imagining the rabbit hole to my dream realm. This has to work. My mind transported me to the enchanted trees with the pentagram and the four symbols.
I brushed my fingers over the carved symbols. The fifth symbol, representing my bond to my mate, was still missing, probably because one of my mates hadn’t marked me. I was curious how the fifth symbol would look once my spirit bonded to another.
Standing among the tall trees, I attempted to visualize Salem’s town square.
From my dream realm as a witch, I could access others as long as I was familiar with the person or knew how.
When Cordelia showed up in my dream realm for the first time, I wondered how she could find me there, but it made a lot more sense seeing that she’d stolen my wolf spirit.
I visualized the dark night and even the burning stake, but something blocked me. I drew a blank as if an invisible wall stopped me. Every time I thought about her memory, my mind refused to take me there. A dull pain formed at my temples.
Cordelia must have placed a spell that I couldn’t break through. My heart pounded as I tried to infiltrate her dream realm for the hundredth time. A stabbing pain shot at the base of my head.
The headache felt like a sharp object drove a hole into my skull. The jabbing sensation jolted me out of my focused state. Wide awake, I grasped the sides of my face.
I drew in a deep breath as a sudden, electric shock-like sensation went through my head and neck, making me wince. I stayed unmoving, only massaging my temples and breathing until I was sure Cordelia’s blocking spell wouldn’t cause me another wave of pain.
What else could I do if I couldn’t reach the dark witch in the dream realm?
I had to find another witch, if there was one left in our realm, to teach me how to infiltrate Cordelia’s dream realm. Maybe there was a spell another witch could teach me to push through the block. I had no idea if another witch lived in our realm, but I had to try.
I visualized my bedroom, willing my mind to take me back. As soon as I opened my eyes, I sprang to my feet and crossed the distance between my bed and the bookshelf in two long strides.
After pulling the witch book I’d found today, I flipped to the pages of the ritual for summoning a witch. While reading through all the warnings about the summoning ritual, I sent a mental prayer to the Fates to keep me safe.
I could only hope a benevolent witch would answer my call.